Chapter 3No More Saving You In This Life

The next morning, Martha’s voice was bright over the speakerphone at breakfast. Grant was nursing a coffee; Sienna was across from him, picking at a bowl of yogurt.

"Evelyn, honey," Martha said. "I checked the calendar. Tomorrow is the perfect day for you and Grant to go down to the courthouse and get the marriage license. We can do a small dinner after."

In my last life, I had blushed. I had looked at Grant with hope, even when he slammed his chair back and walked out. I had made excuses for his "stress."

Now, I watched him. His hand tightened on his mug. Sienna went ghostly white, her hand instinctively fluttering to her stomach.

"Actually, Martha," I said, my voice flat. "Tomorrow doesn't work."

Grant looked up, surprised.

"Grant’s been so stressed with the new startup project," I continued. "Taking time off for the courthouse right now... it wouldn't look good to the investors, would it, Grant?"

Grant jumped at the lifeline. "Right. Yeah. I'm buried in work. We can’t do tomorrow."

The line went quiet for a moment. Then Richard’s voice came through in the background. "Career comes first."

"Fine," Martha sighed. "Soon, though. I just want you two officially settled. Once you're married and we have a grandbaby in the house, this family will finally be complete."

Grandbaby.

I looked at Sienna. She looked like she was going to vomit. She pressed a hand to her abdomen and then pulled it away quickly.

I remembered the hospital room in my last life. The smell of antiseptic. Grant bursting in, his eyes bloodshot, screaming at me. I had just had my bandages changed; half my face was a raw, throbbing mess. He didn't ask if I was okay. He screamed, "Why didn't you save her? She was pregnant, Evelyn! She was carrying my baby!"

The fire had taken his lover and his child. And it had taken the last shred of my soul.

"You're being surprisingly reasonable today," Grant said after the call ended.

Sienna looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed. "Evelyn... are you sure you're okay with waiting?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

She couldn't answer. She just looked down, her lower lip trembling. Grant slammed his cup down. "Stop with the passive-aggressive tone, Evelyn."

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked.

He searched my face, looking for the jealousy, the hurt, the broken girl he was used to. I didn't give him anything.

That night, Grant knocked on my bedroom door. He smelled like shower gel, his hair damp. "Why did you bail me out with my mom today?"

"You didn't want to go," I said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I'm asking for the real reason."

"Sienna told me you were under a lot of pressure. I didn't want to make things harder for you."

Grant’s shoulders relaxed slightly. "You two are getting along better than I thought."

"We're great," I said. So great that she was sleeping with my fiancé while pretending to be my best friend.

Grant walked into the room, reaching out to touch my shoulder. I flinched back before he could make contact. His hand hung in the air.

"I’m not feeling well," I said. "Cramps."

"Fine. Get some sleep."

He walked out. I listened to his footsteps. They didn't go to his room. They stopped at the guest room. The click of the door was so soft you’d miss it if you weren't listening for the sound of your own heart breaking.

I pulled out my phone and hit 'record' on a voice memo app. I caught the muffled whispers, the low laughs. I didn't need to hear the words to know the story.

When Grant finally came back to our shared room hours later, he thought I was asleep. He stripped off his shirt, and in the dim glow of the streetlamp, I saw the fresh red mark on the side of his neck.

I looked away, a wave of nausea rolling over me.

While he slept, I messaged a lawyer named Adrian Prescott—a recommendation from an old college friend. I sent him the photos of the trust fund documents.

He replied almost instantly. Bring everything to my office at 8 AM.

I didn't sleep. I just watched the shadows move across the ceiling until the sun began to rise. I left before anyone else was awake.

I didn't look back.